Karl on Nostr: I view these things on a scale from idiosyncrasy to archetype and you can't ...

I view these things on a scale from idiosyncrasy to archetype and you can't necessarily tell what's correct on your own without investigating, but the idiosyncrasy is closer to illusion/contrivance and the archetype is closer to real.

If you're thinking of something specific, investigate parallels, especially in pre-modern literature (bc late-stage literature is always operating on too many levels of commentary and tries to subvert the norm) and see what turns up.